*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, course choices at Mizzou and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

Get the degree you deserve

The online master’s degree in early childhood education from MU can help you better design, implement and evaluate educational services for children from birth through age 8, especially those with special needs and those with challenging behaviors. If you want to advance or recharge your teaching career, this may be the degree for you.

Career prospects

2 Percentage by which the average base salary of a full-time teacher in a U.S. public elementary or secondary school with a master’s degree exceeds that of a teacher with a bachelor’s degree, 2007–08. Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010 (NCES 2011-015). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C.

This degree has potential benefits for

Child-care center staff workers

Early childhood practitioners

Early childhood special education teachers

Head Start teachers

Kindergarten or primary-grade teachers

Preschool teachers

Note This program does not provide early childhood certification, nor does it provide the initial certification required to become a teacher.

Program structure and topics

Delivery of this program is 100 percent online: no campus visits are required.

Courses are semester-based. Students typically take one or two classes each semester and finish in two years.

This program emphasizes

Working with diverse groups of children and families

Working with children with disabilities, including autism

Implementing appropriate assessment methods

Creating inclusive classrooms

Promoting and enhancing language and early literacy development

Positive approaches to addressing children's social and emotional development

In-state tuition rates

As a distance learner in a University of Missouri graduate program, you qualify for in-state tuition rates, regardless of where you live.